Bheri Babai Project: 65 percent physical progress in 9 and a half years

In the first phase, the construction of 12.20 km tunnel has been completed by tunnel boring machine, and under the second phase, dam and powerhouse construction, hydro-mechanical, electro-mechanical connection and construction are being carried out.

Senior Divisional Engineer Pawan Adhikari, information officer of the project, said that the construction of headworks is going on at Chipley in Surkhet. According to him, 2 of the 6 roads are in the final stages of construction. "Preparations are being made to divert the river for the construction of another 4 ways," he said, "Slope protection work has reached the final stage at the powerhouse construction site, Hattikhola, and we are also working on foundation, coffer dam, anchor block construction etc.

Surkhet. The project is going on with the plan to build a dam on the Bheri river at Chipley in the Bheriganga municipality and drain the Bheri water through a tunnel into the Babai river on the border of Surkhet and Bardia and generate about 46 megawatts of electricity . The project aims to provide irrigation facilities to around 51,000 lands in Banke and Bardia. Due to Corona, the work of the project has been affected for almost 2 years . About 57 financial progress has been achieved in the estimated cost of 33 billion 196 million. Out of which 15.5 billion rupees have been spent so far.

The senior divisional engineer officer informed that 497.1 million rupees have been spent till mid-January out of the allocation of 1.59 billion rupees this year. According to him, it is happening within the next three years. He said that due to last year's flood, there was a problem in the construction of a dam on the river, and the project work was delayed.

'If there are no obstacles, all the work is ready to be completed within the next three years,' he said, 'the work is also being done in a hurry to complete the work at the appointed time.' Raman/Guangdong JV has taken over the second phase of work . The government has a plan to connect the electricity produced by the

project to the National Broadcasting 8 . According to the project, the work will be carried forward with the plan to use the water of Bheri for irrigation in the third phase. The senior divisional engineer officer said that the goal of the project is to build a dam at Chipley in Surkhet and drop 40 cubic meters of water per second to Babai through a tunnel. The construction of a dam is being done in Chipley to release the water from the Bheri into the Babai river . Where 114 meters long and 14 meters high barrage will be built.

Civic leader Durga Prasad Sapkota said that since it is the biggest project of Karnali province and the federal government's national pride, it should be completed at the specified time. "The first phase of the work was done as a model for the first time in Nepal using a tunnel boring machine," he said, "therefore, the government should not allow any obstacles in the work of the project by allocating sufficient budget." ; Urmila Bishwakarma, Minister of Water Resources and Energy Development of the Karnali Provincial Government, said that the necessary coordination is being done on behalf of the provincial government so that the project can be completed within the stipulated time. In the

project, the third phase will include HM and EM along with other electrical works. During the operation of the project, it is estimated that more than 32 hectares of land in Veriganga, Gurvakot and Lekbensi in Surkhet will be flooded. According to the project, the compensation of about 8 hectares of land has been distributed, and the project is working on verification by publishing notices for the acquisition of about 10 and a half hectares of land.

The then Prime Minister Sushil Koirala laid the foundation stone of this project which is being built with indigenous investment. It is estimated that the project will be completed at a cost of 36 billion 80 million rupees.